In recent years, artificial intelligence has increasingly been used for various purposes in both professional and social life.
The Swiss tech company Talnets AG offers a striking example of this diversity.
As part of their project, Talnets AG carried out a successful trial process involving the youth talents of South Africa’s three biggest football clubs: Mamelodi Sundowns, Kaizer Chiefs, and Orlando Pirates.
Turning Match Footage Into Digital Player Profiles
The system analyzes over 60 data points from match videos played by these youngsters and converts them into numerical data.
As a result, a detailed profile is created for each player, referred to as a “player card.” These cards serve as a digital résumé that can be shared with scouts, coaches, and clubs around the world.
In addition to these cards, short video clips showcasing the players’ skills are also included. This means that clubs interested in transferring a player are not only relying on the data but can also watch these videos for visual insights into the player’s abilities.
Real-World Results and Global Reach
The system has already shown success. It is also being used in Spain and has helped discover many young talents who have the potential to become global stars.
Talnets CEO Darko Stanoevski made the following statement about the project:
“There are so many things you can analyze in a game. Our focus is on individual performance analysis, which requires a more specific approach. This analytical framework includes everything from basic metrics — such as goals or goalkeeper saves — to more complex details like line-breaking passes or passive passes.”
A Framework Grounded in FIFA Standards
“Based on FIFA’s Football Language Model and developed with top football experts, our framework includes over 60 different data points to help us identify young talents in an efficient, transparent, and scalable way. Analyzing a full game using this system yields around 600 data points for one team, and on average, 15–20 data points per player.”
“AI enables significant time savings in this process, automating the entire analysis, and making it scalable and efficient.”
Giving Players Global Visibility
Thanks to this system, players can be noticed by clubs, scouts, and coaches who have access to the platform.
More importantly, it allows players to create a digital résumé that helps them promote themselves and pursue their dreams.
Previously, collecting such data would take weeks or even months, but this technology can now reduce that time to just a few hours.